Of all the types of cancer in the world,
skin cancer is the most common.
In New Zealand the sun is particularly intense, which means, if you don't properly protect yourself, you greatly increase your chances of getting it. While the disease is highly treatable, and not always lethal, there still remains the possibility of it becoming life threatening.
Just how high is the probability that you would develop this disease? Here are the most common risk factors of skin cancer:
What Causes Skin Cancer?
Spending considerable amounts of time outdoors or under a tanning lamp may increase your risk significantly, especially if you are unprotected for long periods of time. Living in high-altitude or sunny areas also means you will get sun exposure more than other people would. At high altitudes, the risk is higher since radiation is typically strongest compared to what you will be getting if you stayed in low-elevation places.
Sunburns also affect your chances. Getting a sunburn once will not make you a candidate for cancer but multiple exposures when you were young could increase your risk when you get older. A sunburn damages skin cells, paving the way for abnormal growth that precedes cancer.
Family history is also something of which you should be aware. A close relative (parents, siblings, grandparents) who has had the disease may increase the probability that you could develop it as well.
Educating Yourself on Skin Cancer
The disease may strike anyone regardless of skin color but fair-skinned individuals are far more likely to develop it than others. This is because people with fair skin have less melanin or pigment cells present, which means they have less protection against UV radiation.
Having pre-cancerous lesions is another concern. Actinic keratoses are pre-cancerous skin lesions. These are rough patches of scaly skin that may appear dark pink to brown. These typically appear on the face, hands and arms, particularly among people with fair skin.
Finally, people with plenty of beauty marks, particularly abnormal ones can be likely candidates for developing skin cancer. Irregularly-shaped moles appear larger than normal moles; while these can be harmless, some of them may later become cancerous and thus need to be monitored carefully.
It's a wise idea to have your skin regularly checked by professionals, as they are trained to notice things that we might not otherwise.
Detecting and Treating Skin Cancer
